The hematology lab manager has been receiving complaints that the turnaround time for blood tests is too long. Data from the past month show that the arrival rate of blood samples to one technician in the lab is five per hour and the service rate is six per hour. To answer the following questions, use queuing theory and assume that both rates are distributed exponentially and that the lab is at a steady state. Show all work and explain any assumptions you made in coming up with your answer
Question 1
What is the average time a blood sample spends in the lab? (Hint: Average time in the system = average waiting time in the queue + average service time)